Whittier City School District Management Retreat 2011 Khoury’s - Long Beach

Good News

Preliminary API Scores School 2010 Base 2011 API Gain or Loss Dexter 733 759 +26 Edwards 756 748 -8 Andrews 823 806 -17 Hoover 753 790 +37 Jackson 741 780 +39 Longfellow 738 751 +13 Mill 792 796 +4 Orange Grove 783 793 +10 Phelan 786 785 -1 Sorensen 752 818 +66 West Whittier 755 777 +22 District 770 +15

Mission, Vision and Collective Commitments for the Whittier City School District

Compass Bearings in Education Today

Compass Bearings in Education Today Effective Schools Research Professional Learning Communities

Effective Schools Research Clear and focused academic goals for each student High expectations for each student A strong leader who effectively distributes leadership A collaborative culture with collective responsibility for student learning Frequent monitoring of student learning and use of the results to inform and improve teacher practice

Effective Schools Research Structures to provide students with additional time and support for learning when they struggle A safe and orderly environment Effective partnerships with parents

Characteristics of a PLC The essence of a learning community is a focus on and commitment to the learning of each student. Embracing high levels of learning for each student is why we exist. The learning of each student is the fundamental responsibility of those of us who work as public educators. We need a clear and compelling vision of what the organization must become in order to help all students learn.

Characteristics of a PLC In the past teaching was the focus. Now the focus is on measurable learning. Teams work collaboratively to clarify exactly what must be learned and develop systems to monitor if they have achieved it. Each students learning is monitored in a timely basis Best teaching the first time is the best and most efficient intervention.

Characteristics of a PLC Systematic interventions are structured to ensure students get the additional time and support for learning when they struggle and enrich learning when students have already mastered the content. If the organization is to become more effective in helping all students learn, then the adults in the organization must also be continually learning.

Characteristics of a PLC A 2nd grade teacher is not just responsible for their own classroom they are part of a team that is responsible for all 2nd graders! It is difficult to overstate the importance of collaborative teams in the improvement process. Collaboration needs to be focused on the right things in order to impact classroom practice. A PLC is composed of cooperative teams whose members work inter-dependently to achieve common goals linked to the purpose of learning for all.

What Are We Doing Today

Objectives By the end of the day we will have produced compelling drafts of our Mission, Vision and Collective Commitments. By the end of the day we will have modeled a process where each of you can go back to your staff and facilitate this process successfully.

Boundary Setting Mission Statement

Description A school district’s mission is a statement that identifies the starting point in organizational planning. By describing the mission and identifying the specific purpose of the organization, the team commits to focus on the issue at hand in the context of the purpose of the organization

Steps Identify the primary product of our school district. Identify the clients of the organization. What is the purpose for the Whittier City School District’s existence? Draft a mission statement: The mission of the Whittier City School District is to ___________________________ so that the ____________________________client can___________________________

Examples The mission of the Ajax Software Company is to produce quality software for financial planning so that the customer can plan individual long-term financial stability for their family without needing to consult a financial advisor.

Vision Setting

Description What must our school district become to accomplish our purpose? A vision statement includes four elements: 1. Future state; 2. Clients served; 3. Services provided; 4. Strategies to deliver services

Steps Discuss the role of vision in an organization Write a future letter to a new Whittier City parent explaining why our school district is the best. The letter is dated 2016. Review letters in small groups and select one person to share out for the group. Chart the letters read according to the four elements of the Vision Statement. Break into 4 groups according to elements of the Vision Statement. Each group is to draft a narrative for your section. Provide whole group input on each element of the Vision Statement and empower a small group to finalize the draft.

Collective Commitments

Description What commitments or behaviors must be present in a school that will achieve our Mission and Vision Statements? Collective Commitments for Leaders Collective Commitments for Teachers

Values: Guide Behaviors What changes in our behavior need to take place to advance our Vision? Collective Commitments They are our attitudes and behaviors that we must demonstrate in order to create the school of our vision They are our observable actions 2minutes This is the next step and a very important one – committing to actually doing what needs to be done to accomplish our compelling future. This is all about our behavior and actions. If we believe in our mission and vision – what changes in our behavior need to take place? Collective Commitments: These are agreed upon actions that the entire staff pledges to act upon to support their school. They are most likely written commitments because then they are more likely to follow through

Creating Collective Commitments Limit the number (5 or 6) Make the actions specific Do not include beliefs that are open to interpretation and difficult to monitor Describe clear expectations about what each person WILL do now (specific behaviors) 30 seconds The process of clarifying behaviors and seeking support for them will hopefully begin to change the culture of the school in positive ways. Here are some criteria to keep in mind as you begin the process at your school sites: Too many is impossible – 5 or 6 will be about right. Remember it is about what you’re going to actually do – being vague opens statements to interpretation. Beliefs are open to interpretation and difficult to monitor Collective commitments should be behaviors that individuals can accomplish right away.

Sample Values-Collective Commitments Vision Statement: Every teacher, parent, and student is clear on the knowledge, skills, and dispositions students are expected to acquire in each course, grade level, and unit of instruction. Collective Commitment #1: Each grade level will distribute monthly newsletters to inform parents and students of progress in ELA and math. Collective Commitment #2: Teachers will unwrap priority standards during their grade level meetings to plan instruction based on specific skills and concepts. 1 minute The first bullet is an example of a vision statement that was created by a staff and the other two bullets are examples of collective commitments that would help support the vision statement. Notice how these commitments invoke action and are observable.

You Try The learning of each student is monitored on a timely basis. When students experience difficulty, the school has structures in place to ensure they receive additional time and support for learning. Each teacher will administer at least two common formative assessments before each district benchmark. Teachers will provide intervention after school for six weeks on a targeted concept. 5 minutes CLICK once*** for vision statement only Don’t click anymore. With a partner brainstorm at least 1 collective commitment that would support the above Vision Statement and write it on a post-it (2min) Remember to make it action oriented and observable Then ask participants to share-out their statements. Click again to show modeled statements

Prioritizing Collective Commitment Use a quadrant chart to prioritize the ideas of the group. Write the collective commitments on a piece of paper and have everyone sign and date it. 15minutes Place the chart in front of the room. Explain the purpose of the chart is to get everyone’s collective commitments/ value statements and discuss the probability and impact of each action before committing to the action. Because we want to only select 5-6 it is important to discuss them against this criteria. Presenter explains the 4 quadrants High Impact/ High Probability means that the commitment we make will have a High Impact on students achievement or help us reach our vision and high Prob. Means that it is likely that most people will commit to doing this work. High Impact, Low Probability means that although this work will be impactful it is not probable maybe due to lack of funds or time, However, many principals can make things highly probable if they commit to allocating resources and time, making it then high probability, remember our goal is to commit to the actions that are High Impact/High Probability. Low Impact/ High Probability means that this action will not impact our vision, but is is likely to happen Low Impact/ Low Probability means that this action will not impact our vision and it is not likely to occur and it is not realistic, we should stay away from this quadrant. Presenter writes on post-it notes the two from the previous slide and reads it aloud and allows group to decide where to place it. Note that if something is High Impact/Low probability the discussion can become how can we make it more probable, that can be negotiated by the principal Ask participants if they would like to share out their collective commitment ideas and place them on the chart while facilitating a brief discussion with the group on the rationale of where it is placed on the quadrant.